CRICKET.

NZ Truth, Issue 140, 22 February 1908, Page 3

CRICKET.

'•-.,,' (By Scout)? ' 5 j

Championship Matches* j ' Semi-Finals. A most' oppressively hot .Saturday put m an appearance for the'finish rip of the senii-final round "'.of \ senior cricket, and as I prognpsticated. .last week, feoth^ Mdland antf u Old\ 1! Bdys; v 'W.on easily. - v'r% ' ': ." -" ' ■„, )p• '.- "' *A.- good 'wicketf was' provided, 'land it was a disappointment'_ ;to/.sheVj)ig crowd to have only a coup'l^of houijs; entertainment..- •■'• '- :. •■■ *''-r, f'■' °-.-... i.' • Wellington blew out ba<llyi ' HardLy anyone"expected them to-be Mgot\.ri;d of jn a couple of hours, - but : 'such was! the. case/ and-without"the aid of Upham, who did not put in-ab appearance,, possibly on account of his late bike accident. . ' ' \k '■.'■' Another peculiarity was 'm seeing . Arnold WilHailtts m the outfield T in-" '...steadVol .his accustomed place, . with, the pads and glove&;;oa. ' i ;Had ithe ' two. jnentioned- ■ ;l>e.en;-. m their usual places the i^Wellington score would have possibly-ji'beena few .' runs 'less ; 'however, the- score;) was . email enoiigh ,an.d to some.extent, was pretty liicky (tnlshas no .reference,to. Martin) as "a few of-the batters had' a life or two. . .L. '' f f ; . Mitphell made ijb race.ot'|ilc;hai;d-, son, nearly v yorking him with one ball: < fair.ly ,'fast', and the /succeeding,,;;one; pretty silow ,• Ricluirdson ■ played all, over it,' nnd walked home, '' .; ! . Mahoiiey got, to work pretty sud.-, i denly, an! was missed by■'Mu'rp&y, who. was keeping stumps m place: s. qf; .- Williams/ V.are slogged at anything.. ■and ever/thing, but it . loqlite'd'% like • blind hitting all the time. '■"; [Had '/he: • managed to have got on to- any o£^ ■- Hickson's off-theory stuff-the chances rare; he wouldn't have made half y^'hati he did,-' but hi& desperate 'swipes ' at, ?• the' rising stuff always managed to.: be about afoot wide of the ■' mark;, . and possibly s-aved his bacon.,;; '■ Anfhow, Patrick should j have .held f him on the boundary, off IVJitpt^ell, but ] instead, of going Vat iHbe catch .he;.-, let 1 it. come ito hiiji, necessitating:. ■.Mm makingthe attempt low down* and he , couldn t Tiold it. . "'-,.' * Star Hicksou Was out after runs, r- but wasn't nearly so aggressive,-as * usual; although he did get sOmeV M'ctf * sfcokes m. ■■<•■■ : ' ' ; ■ ■ Quiring had a great run of luck- and had a' few lives. Apparently he had * Mitchell. set, as he drove "the j ball j hack to him on about three occasions *-. hard enough <to have made most •fieldsmen get out of its track and let it'find the boundary, but" Mitchell, had a go at the lot of them,; arid;'although they were chances a bit top: , hot for him to hold he stQpped.tiiem. « every time; and the chances are : his han(!s are still feeling the" effects ,'of v his gamengss. ' ■; '.;'s:-: : ; If Qu'inir had any idea of placing a . ! ball, undoubtedly he would have made' ' a lot of runs,- as his.; eye seemed, „td be m. A season with a good coach would make a lot of difference, to . some of, our' youngsters, and it is; v really surprising that,they bat. as well as- they do, • seeing that they" haye ■ "to practically coach themselves. ,: ; The crowd was visibly disappointed with Tbm Hales by way, of: a ' change. When he strode down ,to knock Hickson's and Mitchell's averages to pieces everyone straightened up their backs and forgot all about Old Sol, fully expecting to see one of . Duke's best get Its stitches; bruised badly. But the groan that went 'up as . Mitchell chucked Tom up a soft /r; straight one, which he played over the top of, struck . the uninterested as though there had been a .bad tram accident. ,jind I guess. Jack Frith, of the Caledonian lubricating hostelry, . ought to put Tpmon the. free drinks list next season, as the crowd rose as one man and visited the; pubbery to wipe out the disappointment m wet ale. Fisher, who ought to be able to hit well and hearty if appearances, style and preliminaries go for any-, thing, faced Claude Hickson, swiped at the first delivery, but only .disturbed the muggy air, and the second delivery he put into Bruce's halids, where it stayed. '"' Luckie cheered things up a bit m his usual energetic style, and it's a style all Ms own, don't f#rget it, but a cheery style all the same., Although the crowd do take to at times,^there's no gainsaying ; 'the fact that he is a sport, arid if this town's cricket had a few more enthusiasts like him,-it wouldn't do crickfit any harm. The innings ended for 348 —on the batsman's w>cket that it was .it should have been three times that, Manson opened with the bail with J out success, and was relieved by Hickson i who stopped on until; the end. Whiting gave Mitchell a spell, and should have had one' Wicket, But Mitchell' was a bit too far"; back? ;jn • the sli^s when'; the chance eame;V to) him, so,' Mitchell and Hick§pn divided thp wickets^ "; , y -'/ ':"^':*''.'i '.Ji Charley Mitchell didn't %<SWI as well aa. usual, being somewhat erra-0 ti<? at the start, but wound up we11,., varvintc; pitch, .and pace.pretty With his experjenpe this 'season.,, he: shoi»ld be.ah^ijTiproved tr^fldl'er JQext season... 4'.'*;"i..;- ■ tf'S&Hi'M. S^'''!;*v HiP^son^a'sn't pitchih^^emiip^asi far as usual, afid was keemnp: them' on the off »M provided four men m the sHi)s. His howling doesn't, look danprertfus, but- it^comesjUD^^off ivlie pltrh a$ a preat rate, aindf as' hits now been nn^eniahlv proved, is dangerous to meddle with. The averages, of the;t.^"o this ifrnin.ES ■-'was Mitchell s'.for 62, Hickson 5 for 41.

;- The substitute fielding for Upham wasn't very brilliant, and .a couple of balls that came his way he.decidedly, funked and allowed them : ; to reach the boundary ; he ... also drop-' peel a catch. The fielding, all. round .was good though, but there ' wasn't that vim m it that Upham's .; presence seems to instil into, the team. ■ Yburig . Murphy did well behind the sticks, although, lie Was. practicallyshortstoppingi" He took a couple of nice catches, and kept "Mr Extras" pretty "quiet.' ■•"• • Wanting 350 to top the Old Boys' tally, Petorie, after' the upending of its best pair lof lii'frters— lslicrwood a4id B rice— never appeared to have a ghost of a chance of reaching the .final -mark. ; '''■ --■ • ;. ■.; Isherwood-sent one back to Moriaghan, and Brice pulled an off ball from Tucker on. to his stumps. ' Cobcroft, on whom the hopes qf the suburbanites largely depended, :was shaping towards a decent tenure' of the batting crease, when- he' touched' one of "Mpny's" off theory, and the ball went- into slipsman Tiickcr's safe mai''* 1 " 1 "Cobby pin;; double figures 'to Ivts credit on the slate. . ;, . A short stand was made .by Smyrk arid- Seriior, the latter 's' disebmfiture being sbaftly brought about by stumper- Blacklpck, his -contribution being IS. "Smyrk, l after heading these figures \>y one, found his wickets knocked out; of plumb by McGall.v . Tohiniy- Taylpr. provided the most entertaining exhiMtidn of the after■Qbpn's proeeedirigs, by . slamniing. the ■ti qwlers ■ - iEfdistrimdiiately :' all l o^e'r ■ ,tlie^ fiel.d; it.o the acjconipa4iijtieni6 .V;Qf ' 'applause 'ffom' if spectatorrs. He made one capital . drive ■ .oft Maspn, and. Lo-'ffiiix-suffered,(&im'iffarly;lat^ . '■■.•'. Before Toinriry was nabbed .by .J. •P. Blaqklbck' 1 at jprig^off , : he'had rattled 6h 55. % Heha'd been missed: by ' the same fieldsman m that direction earj H6r ; ih : liis innings. Tommy's lively •and "■ ; a : ressivfi : display was much a'ppreciaiiccK His hitting was often clean 1 and very vigoroiisf ■ . , Green scored a ' dozen '.before *he fell ■■-a yictini : -to a fijli tosser. The batsmatt oWi'girigtyyd&siM'tohfed. it to Birbh ; Wh6' accepted the chance without de'riiur; Gato, whp. had; eiajht. -sinplpsto his cisedit, was unbeaten.' Jim Barber; did;iiotipu%L iri; an; appearance, a.nd ,Old ,B6ys emerged victors - from the striiiffgle by the big margin of 214 runs, v ■: ■■■■ ■■■ •: / The bowling, and fielding, of the Old Boys calls for no particular comment... .-. 1 ... ;••.. • ■:, ::?.-'■■■■ ■;■ . . ,--.